Anger Management Trends

As the title implies, this site will continually update changes and trends in anger management services, research,referrals and provider training. In addition, books,CDs,videos and DVDs used in anger management programs will be introduced.

Friday, September 28, 2007

George Anderson to be featured in the Los Angeles Magazine

George Anderson, internationally recognized anger management guru, will be the subject of a feature story in the December 2007 issue of the Los Angeles Magazine.

Anderson is the CEO of Brentwood based Anderson & Anderson, Inc., which is the industry standard for anger management/executive coaching worldwide. The Anderson & Anderson curriculum is the most widely used anger management model in the world.

Copies of the December issue will be on the news stands beginning the last week in November.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Where in the World Do Visitors To Our Blogs Come From?

The three Anderson & Anderson blogs are the most popular anger management blogs on the worldwide web. We routinely review the stats to our blogs on a daily basis. Here are some of the results from the last 6 hours:

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Blog by Baltimore Sun sports Columnist David Steele

Steele Press

Temper, temper I

This was a great weekend for anger-management trainers, and a bad one for proponents of such virtues as self-control and professionalism. Milton Bradley (in a tandem with umpire Eric Winters) and DeAngelo Hall seemed a little touchy. Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy, who we’ll discuss in a subsequent post, took it to another level.

* The Padres are probably going to miss the playoffs because of what went down among Bradley, Winters, manager Bud Black and first base coach Bobby Meacham. Has a player-umpire confrontation ever done so much damage? The only one that comes to mind is the Roberto Alomar spitting incident, and that damaged Alomar’s image more than anything. It didn’t affect the pennant race; the Orioles already were locked into a playoff berth (which tells you how long ago it happened). It’s interesting to note, though, that both the Alomar case and the blow-up in San Diego involve allegations of umpire name-calling. It’s just as interesting that the reaction by fans and others has been that no matter what vile thing Winters is accused of saying to Bradley (Meacham, the coach, backed up Bradley’s story), it’s all Bradley’s fault for taking the alleged bait, a textbook case of the victim’s reputation preceding him. If Bradley is Ron Artest, then Winters appears to be a combination of Ben Wallace and the fan who threw the cup.

Meanwhile, manager Bud Black has to be a basket case by now. He was only doing his job, trying to keep his player from bum-rushing the ump and getting suspended — and he ends up wrenching the guy’s knee. It’s a miracle, actually, that it hasn’t happened more often, the way some players and coaches have to be restrained sometimes — and how often umps keep arguments going long after they should have ended. OK, it’s another one of those dumb baseball traditions, umpires and managers/players going eye-to-eye and saliva gland-to-saliva gland. But it’s completely unacceptable from both sides in every other sport known to man — and thus, there are no other incidents that come to mind of someone blowing out an ACL arguing with an ump.

Bottom line: Bradley should get a refund for the anger-management classes he took a few years ago; Winters, the ump, should sign up for some of his own, and Black should work on his footwork and leverage for next time he’s wrestling one of his own players.

* If what DeAngelo Hall did on Sunday in Atlanta when his Falcons lost to Carolina has ever been matched — he was personally responsible for 67 penalty yards on one possession, including two personal fouls — I beg you to let me know here. And it happened to be on the drive on which Carolina tied the game and never looked back. Plus, all the penalties were against wideout Steve Smith, and the last one was, basically, for running his mouth too much after the play was over — a third-down play that was about to force Carolina to try a long field goal, but instead kept the drive alive.

And, as Smith himself described the so-called “trash talk,” “They were real minute … just real immature stuff.” Take his word for it, he’s an expert in the field.

Now, talking stuff per se is not a problem, especially if it’s good stuff and a player can back it up. Hall usually scores on both counts. He was, in fact, backing it up against Smith that day, until that drive. Then, a 37-yard interference call. Then a cheap shot on Smith at the line of scrimmage away from the ball. Then the mouthing off to Smith as he left the field.

Now, new coach Bobby Petrino plans to discipline Hall, and he hashed out ideas with his veterans, which tells you that it isn’t just Petrino who’s mad about this. Hall buried his own teammates by getting caught up in some stupid personal feud that could have been settled by a bunch of pithy quotes in the locker room after the game.

Bottom line: looks like the Falcons didn’t get all the poison out of their locker room when Michael Vick was sent up the river.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Light the Collective Burden

It’s important what we do together, the facilitators and participants of Anderson & Anderson Anger Management Classes, it can even be enjoyable.

One of the more satisfying moments for me is when I witness a participant flush in epiphany — that glimpse, perhaps her first glimpse of an arms-reachable reality where she is controlling her difficult emotions instead of being controlled by them. Another pleasant experience to witness is a deep, personal breakthrough. Last week a father was able to trace the source of his recent aggressive outbursts back to a tragic event 7 years prior (such personal growth is beyond the scope of the class and course material, yet welcome nonetheless). He is now being treated for PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder).

But even more enjoyable for me is when I am part of a group that harmonizes, works together, assists, encourages and elevates each other, so that the facilitator can regress into the environment he nurtured and watch the magic show.

This weekend, George Anderson presided over a class attended by a homemaker, an actor, an island fever sufferer, a lover and a writer. Each participant had previously attended at least one class and was already familiar with the Control Log (Gaining Control of Ourselves, pg. 3). As one person shared a log entry, then another, all became actively involved in labeling Destructive Interactions and proposing Constructive Interactions. Each held all others responsible for honestly and appropriately answering the critical, paradoxical question, “What feelings were you having?” At one point even George was satisfied with an answer but the actor wouldn’t have it, he was sure his classmate wasn’t being as honest with himself as he could be (and he was right). The classmates were genuinely interested in each other’s growth and welfare – it became personal to them, and because it did, each participant became a facilitator in the moment, and nothing teaches like teaching. Laughs were shared. Tears were shed.

Inspiration charged the air. Everyone took personal responsibility and left the classroom invigorated, with a hug from a classmate, or a phone number, so as to continue to the work in tandem.

In the middle of the last century Gestalt Theory, (gestalt is something which when analyzed as a whole has achieved something greater than the sum of its parts), began to shift psychotherapeutic emphasis on personal responsibility and also began to focus attention on the individual’s experience in the present moment. Gaining Control of Ourselves continues that tradition of personal responsibility and likewise invites participants to re-experience the moments that referred them to the program. And so when the facilitator nurtures a safe and sharing environment, when the participants are genuinely interested in personal development, and when a fortuitous mixture of personality and energy coalesce, you might experience a gestalt group where something greater than the sum of the parts occurs. In Berlin it’s called gestalt, but I call it meaning, and it makes my neck hairs stand at attention.

We’re involved in great work: we encourage responsibility, we enable change, we elevate hope, and we lighten individual burdens — which means that we lighten the collective burden, which then makes the air around us more breathable, and that makes the world a lighter, airier place. Sentimental? Sappy? Maybe. But it’s important what we do.

Together. As a group. Facilitators and participants alike. It’s important.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Continuing Education for Anderson & Anderson Providers

In order to maintain your status as an Anderson & Anderson Certified Anger Management Provider, it is necessary that you complete 16 hours per year of continuing education through Anderson & Anderson.

We now have two new courses. One has been structured around our popular DVD, “Gaining Control of Ourselves”. This DVD contains a powerful, comprehensive review of the Conover Assessment, as well as nine detailed lessons from the client workbook and the Conover Assessment. The information contained on this DVD will enhance the facilitator’s ability to convincingly teach each lesson in the Anderson & Anderson Curriculum.

“A Day Away From Stress” is our latest DVD for use with our curriculum. This DVD is one of the most effective tools for teaching stress management for individual coaching as well as anger management groups.

“Session One” features anger management guru, George Anderson. It is a demonstration of how an Anderson & Anderson anger management group is facilitated. This DVD is excellent for use with new clients at intake, as well as a review for facilitators and marketing purposes

Each of these DVDs will come with questions that must be answered by each provider and returned to Anderson & Anderson for the continuing education certificate. Each DVD will count for 8 ceus.

The Cost: $280 per Continuing Education DVD. Each DVD certifies up to four facilitators for continuing education credits (8).

These DVDs can be purchased through our on-line store or by contacting our office at 310-207-3591.

In the colossal list of things wrong with me, being an angry person has never ranked high. I am impatient, but I don’t lose my temper. I am volatile, but I don’t hit people. I get angry over something I have little control over, but quickly the anger turns into frustration. I’ll grind my teeth at night or develop a pain in my stomach, which means the frustration is immediately sidelined by worry that I might have given myself an ulcer. But then I remember I can’t afford to have an ulcer, so I am reminded that whatever I’m upset about isn’t worth it, and this, for reasons only a therapist could explain, is my form of anger management. George Anderson has a different method. A Harvard-trained psychotherapist turned entrepreneur, he virtually invented the industry of anger management. Based in California, his clients include Hollywood studios that send their angry stars and executives to him, the Department of Defense and even the vice-president’s old company, Halliburton.

Anger is a booming business. Soon Anderson will begin selling franchises abroad. So why now? Anger has been around since the beginning of time, but behavior that was once tolerated isn’t any more, by individuals, employers, courts and legislators.

Anderson & Anderson has become the world’s largest provider for anger-management certification and classes. When you hear about someone being ordered by the court, this is where they are sent. George Anderson also provides “executive coaching”, where he works privately with CEOs, law enforcement, movie stars — and now, me.

At the Los Angeles headquarters of Anderson & Anderson, I am given two questionnaires. One is called the “anger management map” and the second will determine my emotional intelligence. My scores will be tallied and I will meet Mr. Anderson, privately, to discuss the results.

He is an affable man. He begins by making the point that anger is a secondary emotion. There is always something else that precedes the anger, and commonly its stress, frustration, disappointment, anxiety, shame, etc. “Anger is a normal human emotion,” he says. “Everyone experiences anger. It is only a problem when it is too intense, occurs too frequently, leads to harm of the self or others — if it leads to violence.” In other words, always?

“When you are tired, are you less patient than when you’re not?” he asks. I tell him yes. He asks if I’m more likely to be irritable. Yes. “What about when you’re hungry?” Yes, I become tense and would lean towards being less charitable to others. “So something came before the anger and it’s how you respond to it.”

This seems obvious. What came before the anger was not eating. How I responded to it? Having a sandwich. But what about a more complex emotional minefield? Rapidly, I fire off the what-ifs. “What if there is someone married to someone mentally ill? Or an alcoholic? What if there is a family member with a permanent disability?”

Anderson reiterates that you can’t change the feelings, you can only respond differently and change your behavior. Part of this is common sense and part is emotional discipline. I have neither.

We go over my results on the emotional intelligence scoring grid. I did well in self-awareness, emotional awareness of others and creativity. But I scored abysmally low — as in the bottom range of “CAUTION” — for resilience (defined as an ability to bounce back and retain a hopefulness about the future); trust radius (the degree to which I expect people to be inherently “good” and an inclination to trust until there is reason not to) and personal power (the degree to which I believe I can meet life’s challenges). Anderson tells me the opposite of personal power is hopelessness and helplessness, and based on the results of my tests, anger is the least of my problems.

This makes sense. If I have no reason to trust, and no reason to be hopeful, then no wonder I’m not angry — I’m always prepared to be disappointed. And if anger is the result of unrealistic expectations, my expectations are so low to begin with I have nowhere to go but up. So, as I see it, scoring low in these areas is a good thing.

But Anderson isn’t convinced. As I defend my hopeless existence, I can see him begin to squirm. Hopelessness is not exactly the control mechanism that he’s advocating. The more he tries to improve my trust radius, the more skeptical I become. Just then, something occurs to me. Have I succeeded in making the guru of anger management… angry? There is a moment of silence while he stares at me. Speechless. But then he laughs. “Well, you’re from New York,” he says.

There is no scientific proof that Anderson’s anger-management training and classes work. But they can’t hurt. The real question is whether there is any long-term and significant change, since these classes are not treating the deeper issues. Shame, fear, mental illness, pathologies — all of this must be addressed in psychotherapy and counseling.

Having experienced a few hours of the executive coaching, I am invited to sit in on one of the classes. A semicircle of strangers is seated in a small room. They are breathing deeply and following instructions from a relaxation tape. It’s making me jittery. I am the only one whose eyes are not shut, so I look around. Five men, one woman.

Jessica, 21, dressed in black with dark wavy hair and blue eyes, punched a police officer. Karl needs tools to manage his stress. Richard, a soft-spoken middle-aged dad in khaki trousers and a variety of pens in his shirt pocket, was ordered to attend for 52 weeks by the court for being verbally abusive to his ex-wife. He is in week 51. Each person has brought their “anger log”, where incidents that occurred during the week are recorded and then discussed.

In this room, there are two posters on the wall. The Wheel of Destructive Interactions, and the Wheel of Constructive Interactions.

For the next two hours, one by one, episodes where anger was displayed during the week are candidly shared, and people are asked to identify the hostility, rage, avoidance, manipulation, etc, on the negative wheel, and then refer to the constructive wheel (expressing feelings, seeking compromise, stating needs, etc) to pinpoint what they would have done differently. Nobody is being told not to be angry; they are being taught skills to manage anger.

Anderson & Anderson calls the shots because there are no laws regarding anger management. The courts rely on the company to set the standards — 26 weeks is the average. For the client to gain something, he or she has to do the exercises. The stress log and anger log must be completed every day, so they learn to know in advance the situations that would stress them out — and then do something about it.

Sean Coffey, a Brit, met George Anderson after reading an article on him. His background was in psychology and he’s had various jobs, such as caddying, coaching football and running a promotion agency. He plans to open an Anderson clinic in London.

But will the British be able to speak as candidly as Americans? He tells me: “They do find it difficult to express their emotions, unless they feel aggrieved about something in particular. Ironically, the higher up the social scale one goes, and the more eloquent one would expect them to be — the less likely they are to verbalize their emotions and so it stays bottled up.”

And just as it took years for the benefits of psychology and psychiatry to filter through to Britain, Coffey fears it may be the same for anger management. “I’m not sure that British people are ready to pay for this service,” he says. “Also, admitting that one requires psychiatric or psychological assistance is seen as a sign of weakness.”

The difference between the types of anger displayed and experienced by people in Britain and in the United States has mainly to do with alcohol-related violence (the UK beats the US) and weapon-related violence (the US is the winner by far). The common ground is car-related violence, where both nations have unrealistic expectations when it comes to traffic and journey times.

Back in my hotel room and unable to sleep, I turn on the television. There is yet another form of anger management. It’s called Star Wars. And the wisdom of Yoda is undeniable. “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” That’s 52 weeks of class right there.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Mean Bosses Mean Big Losses

If you've heard comments like "I hate my boss!" more than once in your office, your company may be plagued by the serious illness known as Mean Boss Syndrome—a condition potentially fatal to your business. Read on to learn our employment specialist's 100% effective cure for this workplace malady.

By: Martin Salcedo, Esq.

In 20th Century Fox's "The Devil Wears Prada," actress Meryl Streep portrays the quintessential mean boss, one who takes pleasure in her subordinates' pain. But, while abusive bosses make for good comedy, they are bad for business. Ultimately, you cannot afford to allow abusive supervisors and managers to exert their ill-will over your workforce—and over your company's bottom line.

The number of employees confronted by mean or abusive bosses is probably higher than you think. Wayne Hochwarter, an associate professor of management at Florida State University's College of Business, wanted to verify the proposition that "employees don't leave their job or company, they leave their boss" by surveying more than 700 people working in a variety of jobs on how their supervisors treat them. The numbers reveal serious problems:

-31% of respondents reported that their supervisor gave them the "silent treatment" in the past year; -37% reported that their supervisor failed to give credit when due; -39% noted that their supervisor failed to keep promises; -27% noted that their supervisor made negative comments about them to other employees or managers; -24% reported that their supervisor invaded their privacy; and -23% indicated that their supervisor blames others to cover up mistakes or to minimize embarrassment.

If these numbers fail to underscore the extent to which bad or abusive bosses infect the workforce, just try typing "bad boss" into your Internet search engine of choice. The results are not only staggering, but they also reveal what some of your workers are doing when they are "on the clock" rather than what you are paying them to do.

The consequences of having abusive bosses in your organization are many. From badly treated employees, you can expect lower productivity; increased mistrust and hostility; increased exhaustion; decreased motivation and happiness; increased job-related tension, nervousness, and depression; and increased job dissatisfaction, to name a few.

But perhaps the costliest side effect of Mean Boss Syndrome is the resultant high employee turnover rate: The Internet abounds with employee advice columns and blogs that urge abused employees to begin looking for new jobs ASAP. And, as you are well aware, a high employee turnover rate can seriously damage your organization's bottom line.

There may also be some legal consequences to maintaining abusive bosses on your payroll, and although these are not necessarily clear-cut, they should give you pause for concern.

Technically speaking, in the absence of criminal behavior (i.e., assault, battery, etc.), the law does not contain a specific prohibition against "mean" bosses. However, this has not prevented resentful employees from trying to set their hooks in their employers' wallets.

Aggrieved employees have sued their employers in state court by alleging the tort known as Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress (IIED). Yet such suits are generally unsuccessful because the level of abuse that an employee needs to prove is extremely high. California and Florida, for example, require intentionally or recklessly extreme and outrageous conduct that results in emotional distress.

Essentially, the outrageous conduct must be so extreme as to exceed all bounds of that usually tolerated in a civilized community—conduct that will lead an average member of the community to exclaim "Outrageous!" Comparatively speaking, this is a difficult standard to prove; hence, there is a relatively low success rate of employee-filed IIED suits.

Aggrieved employees have also tried their hand at suing their employers in federal court under anti-discrimination and harassment statutes, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, case law has made it clear that Title VII is not to be wielded as a general civility code and that in the absence of discrimination or harassment on the basis of a protected classification, Title VII does not apply to "mean" bosses.

While employers may take solace in this reasoning, their comfort should be short-lived. It is not uncommon for abusive individuals to use words laced with sexist or racist undertones during their tirades. You can imagine the impact on jurors when they hear dozens of employees recount under oath how a male supervisor repeatedly used sexual epithets when addressing his female subordinates.

The lesson here is that despite the absence of a specific statutory prohibition against "mean" bosses, such behavior can eventually lead to legal liability.

So what can you do? The good news is that most individuals want to succeed, and, with the proper training, can eventually become the kind of bosses their employees respect and maybe even like.

First, have all of your bosses conduct self-analyses of their managerial styles. According to the National Federation of Independent Business, this self-inventory should include the following questions:

-Have you ever berated an employee in public? -Have you ever taken credit for something an employee did? -Are your employees afraid of you? -Are you a "no excuses allowed" type? -Do you yell or shout at employees? -Have you ever tried to belittle or humiliate an employee as punishment? -Do you "lean on" or make it more difficult for someone who has displeased you? -Do you play favorites?

Don't just take your supervisory staff's word on these matters. Check the rank and file's temperature by asking them the same questions about their supervisors. If one or more of your bosses falls into the mean or abusive category, you should seriously consider taking immediate action to address the problem.

Start by training your managers. Supervisory employees need to be taught how to manage— leadership is not necessarily an innate characteristic. Teach supervisors how to manage effectively and make sure they mend their dictatorial ways. If, despite your best efforts at warning and training these individuals, they fail to improve, you must seriously consider removing supervisory responsibilities from their job function. Of course, be sure to document the entire process.

Phrases like "beatings will continue until employee morale improves" and "succeed, despite your boss" are funny—unless they're true in your workplace. Make sure these morale-destroying observations are not applicable to your organization by carefully "supervising your supervisors."

Mean Boss Syndrome is a 100 percent preventable and curable workplace illness; all it requires is the proper dosage of the right medication—effective training.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Physicians Endorse Executive Coaching for Physicians

To the surprise of many in the Health Care Industry, legitimate, focused executive coaching for anger is experiencing a wider range of acceptance from physiicans than anticipated. The anticipated opposition appears to have been based on the lack of clarity on the part of many as to what is invoved in Executive Coaching for Physicians.

Programs that require a psychiatric or psychological assessment are, in fact, the source of anxiety and opposition from many physician groups. Problems managing anger, stress and/ or assertive communication styles are not pathological conditions. Therefore, an examination for psychopathlogy is neither appropriate nor necessary.

Disruptive physicians are those physicians whose interpersonal relationships may be compromised by excessive stress, anger, lack of emotional intelligence and/or aggressive communication. Hence, whatever assessments are used should be related to determining deficits in managing anger, stress, assertive communication and emotional intelligence.

Doctors are acutely aware of the potential damage to their practices and careers any record of mental illness or history of substance abuse or sexual abuse. It is therefore critical that Physician Well-being Committees, Hospital Administrators and those responsile for referring “disruptive physicians” make certain that the referral source is narrowly focused on the issues related to the defined problems of “anger management ” rather than redefining the problem as mental illness/psychopathology.

The American Psychiatric Association has appropriately determined that anger is a normal human emotion rather than a diagnosable pathological condition. Further, anger is considered by the APA as a “lifestyle issue”. Anger is a problem when it is too intense, occurs too frequently, lasts too long, leads to health problems, impacts interpersonal relationships or results in aggression or violence.

For information on on-site Executive Coaching/anger Management for Physicians, please our website at www.andersonservices.com or contact us at 310-207-3591.

George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF, CEAPDiplomate, American Association of Anger Management ProvidersAnderson & Anderson, The Trusted Name in Anger Managementhttp://www.andersonservices.com/http://www.angertrends.blogspot.com/http://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingangerwww.anger-management-resources.org

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

As we approach the end of the year, Anderson & Anderson has become aware of the needs of anger management facilitators and providers for continuing education units. All providers and facilitators using the Anderson & Anderson model of anger management intervention, and are listed on the Providers lists, are required to complete sixteen hours of continuing education credits yearly to meet the standards set forth by the Curriculum.

Anderson & Anderson is now offering two DVDs for continuing education: 1.) the groundbreaking Gaining Control of Ourselves DVD, and the new A Day Away From Stress DVD. A third option for Advanced Continuing Education (which focuses on Executive Coaching) is currently being developed by Anderson & Anderson. Each DVD can be used to complete 8 hours of continuing education, and each can grant up to four continuing education certifications. Each package comes with a set of four exams to be completed upon viewing the DVDs. For more information, please call our office at 310-207-3591.

George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF, CEAPDiplomate, American Association of Anger Management ProvidersAnderson & Anderson, The Trusted Name in Anger Managementhttp://www.andersonservices.com/http://www.angertrends.blogspot.com/http://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingangerwww.anger-management-resources.org

Monday, September 17, 2007

Doctors to Prescribe Anger Management for Children

Doctors in the England could soon be able to prescribe anger management classes for children with behavioural problems under a new 8.9 million pound government scheme.

Under the plans the NHS could pay for anger management for difficult children along with a number of other services such as air conditioning for those with lung disease who struggle to keep cool during the hot summer months. The scheme will see the 8.9 million pounds allocated to 81 deprived areas in England under a framework to tackle inequalities. The framework also aims to encourage local councils and health services to find new ways of working together to prevent ill health amongst the community.

Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt said: “For too long health has been seen simply in terms of hospitals and bed numbers. NHS stands for the National Health Service not the National Sickness Service and we want it to live up to its name. We need to radically change the culture of how we shape and deliver care - shifting focus from curing the sick to the proactive prevention of ill health, as well as tackling health inequalities. By giving GPs more flexibility in how they use NHS money and investing more in community based programmes, local services will be able to offer people a seamless service of care - whether in a hospital, in their home or in the community.”

Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly added: “By using this framework and working through Local Area Agreements local authorities and primary care trusts can begin to draw together the contributions of different services, leisure, transport, libraries and housing as well as across social, primary and community care to create the outcomes which lead to prosperous and healthier communities.”

However, shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: “Patricia Hewitt must be living on a different planet. The NHS does not have enough money to fund operations, so how does she expect GPs to divert money for NHS treatments into preventative equipment or services? It further illustrates why public health budgets to fund preventative services should be ring-fenced. Joined-up health and social care is absolutely necessary but to break down the barriers we need direct payments that encompass social and healthcare following a single assessment.”

Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the British Medical Association’s GPs committee welcomed the idea of preventing illness through tackling inequalities. But he said: “At a time of massive deficits in local NHS budgets, hospital closures and redundancy and unemployment for doctors, nurses and other health workers, it beggars belief that a government that has lost its way with the NHS wants the service to provide air conditioning and anger management classes. GPs already refer children with behavioural problems to specialist psychiatrists or psychologists, the problem is the shortage of NHS provision in these services. As for air con units - let’s hope that in 12 months time the government is not berating GPs for over-prescribing them.”

Dame Helena Shovelton, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: “Providing air conditioning facilities during hot weather for people with lung disease can be helpful, as can community nursing support, timely weather forecasts and advice on pollution levels.”

Finally, Andrea Bilbow, of the National Attention Deficit Disorder Information and Support Service, said: “Anger management classes are an incredibly good idea. I hope they becomes a reality.”

George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF, CEAPDiplomate, American Association of Anger Management ProvidersAnderson & Anderson, The Trusted Name in Anger Managementhttp://www.andersonservices.com/http://www.angertrends.blogspot.com/http://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingangerwww.anger-management-resources.org

“Disruptive Physicians” Respond Positively to Coaching

The new Joint Commission for Hospital Accredidation Standards relative to “disruptive physicians” is resulting in a surge of physician referrals to Anderson & Anderson Providers nationwide. While most of these referrals are mandated by Physian Well-being Committees, some are sefl and/or family referrals.

To date, those referred have demonstrated a real committment to change and a serious investiment in learning. The parts of the coaching which have received the most positive feedback from participants are the throughness of the assessment, the comprehensive focus of the client workbooks, the DVDs and the Contrasting Wheels of Behavior.

On-site training by George Anderson are scheduled for San Antonio, Atlanta and Chicago.

For information or to schedule an on-site coaching class, contact Anderson & Anderson at www.andersonservices.com or 310-207-3591.

George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF, CEAPDiplomate, American Association of Anger Management ProvidersAnderson & Anderson, The Trusted Name in Anger Managementhttp://www.andersonservices.com/http://www.angertrends.blogspot.com/http://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingangerwww.anger-management-resources.org

Using Emotional Intelligence to Transform Stressful Feelings

Your emotions are often the most obvious sign that something is wrong. For this reason, you can always use uncomfortable emotions – fear, hurt, worry, discomfort, anxiety, etc. – as indicators that you have moved out of your flow zone state (the state in which you are most alive and productive) and into a stressful one. You don’t have to watch every thought; just pay attention to your feelings. Good feelings indicate that you’re viewing your life in a positive light. As long as you’re feeling uplifted and empowered, you don’t need to monitor your thoughts because they’re clearly serving you well.

By contrast, when you notice that you’ve started to feel bad, you can find out why by identifying the negative emotion. Ask yourself, “How am I feeling, and why am I feeling that way?” If you can give the emotion a precise label – hurt, anger, sadness, depression, jealousy, rejection, loneliness, boredom, anxiety, worry or apprehension – you will have a clue to how you may be perceiving a particular situation. Then you can follow this clue to its trigger. Here are some common emotions with the perceptions that often accompany them:

Hurt - You probably perceive someone’s words or actions as intended to hurt or betray you. Worried - There’s a good chance you’re thinking about some future event that you either do not look forward to or fear might happen.

Angry - You may believe that someone has done something you do not approve of or strongly disagree with. Defensive - You may believe that someone doesn’t understand you or is trying to attack you. Resistant - You may perceive something as undesirable and are trying to avoid it.

You may not be certain which event triggered your negative feelings, but labeling the emotion can help you trace it back to its source: your perspective. However, don’t spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out exactly which emotion you’re experiencing. Sometimes it’s sufficient just to notice that you don’t feel good or you feel “off” or “lousy.” Since the goal is to feel better, focus instead on ways to change the perceptions that have triggered your emotional response. A quick way to do that is to question the truth of your perception because perceptions are frequently nothing more than assumptions or speculations.

Of course, the more adept you become at catching yourself as you transition from feeling good to feeling bad, the more quickly and easily you can identify the trigger that caused you to feel bad. Naturally, as with any new skill, mindful awareness must be practiced and reinforced before it can become a habit. Be patient with yourself, and know that each time you use this process, you’re improving your self-awareness.

George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF, CEAPDiplomate, American Association of Anger Management ProvidersAnderson & Anderson, The Trusted Name in Anger Managementhttp://www.andersonservices.com/http://www.angertrends.blogspot.com/http://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingangerwww.anger-management-resources.org

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Carlos Todd on CBS News

The Charlotte North Carolina CBS Affiliate carried a prime time interview on the evening news on September 10, 2007. Carlos Todd is an Anderson & Anderson Provider as well as the President of The American Association of Anger Management Providers.

Mr. Todd linked the rise in anger management related issues to the tradgedy of 9/11. He pointed to the tremendous increase in anger management referrals nationwide following this unfortunate situation.

To see this impressive interview, please click here: www.masteringanger.com.

George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF, CEAPDiplomate, American Association of Anger Management ProvidersAnderson & Anderson, The Trusted Name in Anger Managementhttp://www.andersonservices.com/http://www.angertrends.blogspot.com/http://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingangerwww.anger-management-resources.org

In response to the new standards relative to "disruptive physicians" issued by the Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation, on-site coaching for physicians is now the most requested intervention at Anderson & Anderson.

On September 10th and 11th, George Anderson provided on-site coaching in Dallas. During the last week in September, he will provide on-site executive coaching for a physician in Atlanta. The following week, he will fly to Saint Petersburg, Florida.

Executive Coaching/executive anger management will be made available for the Chicago area in relation to our three day Anger Management Facilitator Certification Training in Chicago during the week of October 23, 2007.

George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF, CEAPDiplomate, American Association of Anger Management ProvidersAnderson & Anderson, The Trusted Name in Anger Managementhttp://www.andersonservices.com/http://www.angertrends.blogspot.com/http://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingangerwww.anger-management-resources.org

The Anderson & Anderson model of anger management is the most effective and widely-recognized curriculum in the world. This model, which has been featured in Los Angeles Times Magazine, focuses on enhancing emotional intelligence and assertive communication while introducing behavior strategies for identifying and managing anger and stress. Our certification training and approved provider list are the industry standards and dominate the internet. **

Our upcoming anger management certification training will be held at the Hampton Inn Hotel in Chicago on October 23rd, 24th, and 25th. The First day of training will focus on Adolescent Anger Management and will use the Anderson workbook “Controlling Ourselves” as the text. A demonstration and discussion of the Conover Assessment Component will be conducted. This one-day training is designed for Nurses, School Counselors/Psychologists, Substance Abuse Counselors, Case Managers, HR Managers, Clinicians, Probation Officers, as well as staff from group homes, and agencies serving families and youth. This curriculum is currently being used in school districts in Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, Concord and San Diego, as well as school districts in Texas and Louisiana. In addition, probation departments in Arizona, Kansas, California and Texas use this model.

On the Second day, Adult Anger Management will be examined. A demonstration of the Conover Assessment will be conducted with a discussion of its usefulness. “Gaining Control of Ourselves,” in conjunction with experiential exercises and videos, will be used to initiate the participants to this intervention. Most major corporations have accepted this model for use by H.R. and EAP Managers. Executive Coaching in relation to anger management will also be introduced.

The Third day of Training is Executive Coaching. This training will include a demonstration of the contents and presentation of a ten hour Executive Coaching class along with assessment and Post Test.

*Each training counts for 8 hours of credit towards the 40 hours required for Certification. **This training is also available on Interactive CDs.

For more information regarding this training, please contact our office at 310-207-3591

George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF, CEAPDiplomate, American Association of Anger Management ProvidersAnderson & Anderson, The Trusted Name in Anger Managementhttp://www.andersonservices.com/http://www.angertrends.blogspot.com/http://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingangerwww.anger-management-resources.org

Monday, September 10, 2007

If You Don’t Like Something, Change It

If you can’t change it, learn to accept it.

Perception is everything

The way we appraise (see) our environment at any given time is important in determining how we respond emotionally. If we appraise a situation as a threat, put-down, or an insult, we are more likely to respond with anger. If we appraise a situation positively, our response will be positive. Two people can appraise the same situation differently. Our feelings are very personal and do not follow rules of logic. We can appraise the situation differently at different times based on our moods, level of stress and clarity of thought and consequently respond differently.

Our bodies talk

Our emotions help us communicate with others. Our facial expressions, for example, can convey a wide range of emotions. If we look sad or hurt, we are letting the other person know that we need their help. If we are verbally skilled we will be able to express more of our emotional needs and thereby have a better chance of filling them. If we are good at listening to the emotional needs of others, we are better able to help them feel understood, important and cared about. The emotionally intelligent person is able to read, with some degree of accuracy, the feelings conveyed non-verbally by those with whom he or she interacts.

While we can not change the situations we encounter, we can change the way we perceive them and use our intuition and emotional intelligence in a way that leads to a response which is a win for all parties concerned.

George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF, CEAPDiplomate, American Association of Anger Management ProvidersAnderson & Anderson, The Trusted Name in Anger Managementhttp://www.andersonservices.com/http://www.angertrends.blogspot.com/http://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingangerwww.anger-management-resources.org

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Taming Anger

Anger-management firms get a steady stream of clients. A therapist from one Gardena company will be on a TV show this week.

By Sandy MazzaStaff Writer, Southbay Daily Breeze

When his girlfriend told him that her stepfather hit her, Gary raced to the man’s house to confront him.

Filled with rage, he throttled the older man until friends pulled them apart. Police were called, and Gary was arrested on suspicion of assault.

A judge sentenced him to probation and 10 anger-management counseling sessions.Gary’s inability to control his anger may be a difficult personal struggle for him, but for the men and women who operate anger-management programs, it is part of a very profitable cottage industry.

For his sentence, Gary chose to visit Daybreak Counseling Service in Gardena. He joined five other court-appointed participants for the session.

They spent an hour talking about their anger, and the problems it created, in the warm second-floor office in downtown Gardena.

Gary said his anger problems are going to take a lot of work to fix.

“I don’t think (this class) is going to be enough,” said Gary, who didn’t give his last name. “I haven’t been able to control myself very much. I can’t even think when I get angry. That day (during the fight), people were grabbing me. I told them I was OK just so I could leave and fight the guy again.”

Unlike domestic violence prevention programs, anger-management counseling is not regulated by any government agency. Anyone with the motivation can start a program and charge any fee.

But when people lose their temper, the man they’re most likely to deal with is George Anderson. Anderson - the founder of Anderson & Anderson Anger Management program - has a near monopoly on the county’s programs. When judges order convicted criminals to attend anger-management programs, they give them a list of programs certified by Anderson.

Anderson is a psychotherapist and an expert in domestic violence prevention and anger management. He provides counseling at offices in Lawndale and Brentwood. But the majority of his business is training other anger-management providers.Anderson trained Shannon Munford, who then founded Daybreak Counseling Service, where he hands out Anderson’s 120-page anger-management guide, “Gaining Control of Ourselves,” to all of his clients.

Munford opened the program about six years ago, and now has five locations in the county, including the Gardena office.

A therapist from his company will appear on the premiere episode of the “Decision House” TV show on My Network TV Channel 13 at 8 p.m. Wednesday. During the episode, the counselor works with a feuding couple. The future of their relationship will be decided during the show.

At Daybreak’s Thursday meeting, clients discussed the issue affecting the couple that will appear on the TV show - how uncontrolled anger can ruin intimate relationships.

A man named Freddie said his girlfriend broke up with him after he had an outburst of rage. He was ordered to take anger-management classes by a judge because he resisted arrest when the couple were arguing.

“I had a pretty good relationship with a girl,” Freddie said. “She went bye-bye. I realized being a jerk caused it.”

While they are a steady source of clients, court-ordered patients are only part of the clientele for anger-management programs.

Businesses often require employees to get counseling after they have emotional outbursts at work, and some people sign up for classes voluntarily, Anderson said.Munford said he treats people who have been involved in a wide range of crimes.He has treated a man who threatened to kill a cable company customer-service worker because he was upset with his service. Munford has counseled people who have become too harsh while disciplining their children. He has worked with gang members who were caught in minor fights with rivals. And one woman was sentenced to anger-management classes for yelling at an El Camino College parking-enforcement officer who she believed was only giving out tickets to white people.

“It’s kind of a catch-all sometimes,” said Munford, who is also a county probation officer and therapist. “Anger is always there. It’s always a part of a probationer’s criminal makeup. They’re angry about something.”

Munford said anger-management counseling doesn’t necessarily change the behavior of his clients - especially those who are ordered to attend.

“It’s kind of similar to traffic school,” Munford said. “Once they complete it, they completed it. But they may get back on the road and be a bad driver.”His clients pay a $45 registration fee and $30 per class.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Robert Schnider, who supervises the court’s family law division, said he believes anger-management classes rarely motivate people to change their behavior.

“I know there are people who go through it, and it’s meaningless to them,” Schnider said. “There are a lot of people who start the classes but don’t finish - 10 percent to 20percent. But then I know people whose lives are turned around by it. It depends on why you’re going and what your attitude is.”

Shanee Potter, 22, of Los Angeles, completed 14 anger-management sessions at Daybreak Counseling Service last year. She voluntarily signed up for the program after she was arrested on suspicion of stabbing her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend five times with a steak knife.

She said the class taught her ways to divert her angry thoughts and feelings.“I just really wanted to hurt him,” Potter said. “I would think about hitting him upside the head with a frying pan. Then I would get upset when I tried to apply for a job and they denied me” because of the felony conviction for the stabbing.“I learned that when I get upset, I just have to move on and keep trying. I try to stay busy, work out, or look for another job.”

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Anger Management/executive coaching for Abusive Bosses

The subject of “bad” and/or abusive bosses was one of the topics featured on CNN today. ABC, NBC and NPR have all reviewed this topic in the recent past. The AFL-CIO Union even has organized a yearly contest on the “worst boss in the country”. This year, The Employment Alliance conducted a nationwide survey which revealed that 44% of employees considered their bosses abusive.

The Joint Commission on Hospital Accredidation came to grips with a long standing problem with abusive physicians by establishing a definition of “disruptive physicians” and requiring hospital Physician Well Being Committees to address this issue. Effective April 1, 2007, all hospitals in the United States were required to establish written policy to address the issue of “disruptive physicians”.

New York, New Jersey, California, Washington and Vermont are currently drafting legislation to define and address “abusive bosses” in the workplace. Since all of these measures are in the initial stages of development, little specifics are known at this time.

There are, however, some things which are clear. Employees are no longer willing to accept unchallenged, abusive behavior from managers, supervisors or from persons whose responsibilities are to lead others. Unions and other employee organizations are in the forefront in supporting the above proposed legislation regarding “abusive bosses”.

Businesses are becoming aware of the performance and legal liability posed by “bad bosses” and is seeking assistance. Currently, it costs $750,000 to define one claim for violence in the workplace. Hospitals throughout the nation are contracting with Certified Anger Management Providers for Executive Coaching, Organizational Training, Anger Management classes, as well as consultation.

For a video graphic presentation of each of the three services mentioned above, click here.

Anderson & Anderson has earned the reputation as “The Trusted Name in Anger Management”. We have devoted our many years of practice to providing quality and professional services to consumers and professionals alike. In the absence of state standards for the practice of anger management, we have assumed the responsibility of exposing false and/or misleading advertising, which may victimize unsuspecting consumers. As the largest and most respected anger management provider in the nation, we feel that it is important for those who profess to be trained anger management facilitators to be honest and fair in claims made in all Internet ads.

The following information appears on the Home Page of the Federal Trade Commission, which is the only agency with the power to act against unscrupulous Internet advertisers:

Advertising and Marketing on the Internet: Rules of the Road

The Internet is connecting advertisers and marketers to customers from Boston to Bali with text, interactive graphics, video and audio. If you are thinking about advertising on the Internet, remember that many of the same rules that apply to other forms of advertising apply to electronic marketing. These rules and guidelines protect businesses and consumers - and help maintain the credibility of the Internet as an advertising medium. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has prepared this guide to give you an overview of some of the laws it enforces.

Advertising must tell the truth and not mislead consumers. In addition, claims must be substantiated.

GENERAL OFFERS AND CLAIMSPRODUCTS AND SERVICES

The Federal Trade Commission Act allows the FTC to act in the interest of all consumers to prevent deceptive and unfair acts or practices. In interpreting Section 5 of the Act, the Commission has determined that a representation, omission or practice is deceptive if it is likely to:

-- mislead consumers and

-- affect consumers' behavior or decisions about the product or service.

While there as no laws regulating the practice of anger management, some counties or districts have some minimal standards. For example, the Superior Court in the County of Los Angeles, which has a population of ten million residents, has its own list of accepted providers. Orange County, California has designated the Probation Department as the agency responsible for determining acceptable providers for that county. Finally, on-line anger management classes are not accepted by any court in the state of California. This can easily be confirmed by contacting the Presiding Judge in any Judicial District in California. In Houston, Texas, the local Probation Department approves anger management classes. In the State of Texas, it is Commission on Juvenile Probation and the Commission on Adult Probation that have the authority to approve or disapprove of anger management programs. Neither of these agencies currently approves of on-line anger management classes.

Therefore, all Anderson & Anderson Certified Providers are asked to copy and forward false and misleading ads, including those claiming “Court Acceptance Guaranteed, Money Back Guarantee” and similar claims for on-line classes, to the Federal Trade Commission. Google should receive this information as well. We are also requesting that all of our members place copies of this announcement on their websites and/blogs.

For anyone who has been victimized by any of these ads, we urge you to visit the website of the Federal Trade Commission at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/ruleroad.shtm and file your own complaint.

All legitimate anger management providers suffer when we sit by quietly while consumers are victimized.

George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF, CEAPDiplomate, American Association of Anger Management ProvidersAnderson & Anderson, The Trusted Name in Anger Managementhttp://www.andersonservices.com/http://www.angertrends.blogspot.com/http://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingangerwww.anger-management-resources.org

About Me

George Anderson,MSW,BCD,CEAP is a Psychotherapist and anger management expert. He has Post Gradute training in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy from Harvard University School of Medicine.
He is a Diplomate in the American Association of Anger Management Providers and a Fellow in the American Orthopsychiatric Association.